


From the Stars, Among As

by sakaamotos, starlunakitsube



Category: Among Us (Video Game), Persona 5
Genre: ...we may or may not be using colours not in the game, Aidan is a literal human puppy, Akira is genuinely confused by his own emotions, Akira is the imposter, F/F, F/M, M/M, Rating may change in later chapters, Yellow is an imposter at first, f in chat we're making it up as we go, for...reasons., is replaced with a crewmate later, no beta we die like men, this game has no lore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26812729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sakaamotos/pseuds/sakaamotos, https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlunakitsube/pseuds/starlunakitsube
Summary: Akira Kurusu is an Imposter, even though he feels so alien from them.Aidan Kearney is a Crewmate, and doesn't seem to be aware that Akira is something to fear.You know what they say about inevitability.
Relationships: Kurusu Akira/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 16





	1. Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Among Us AU of the Fae Blooded AU I made with sakaamotos. 
> 
> Aidan Kearney is sakaamotos' version of the P5MC.
> 
> This started as a series of drabbles and...kinda spawned more. Regrets? Zero.

Akira knew he was _supposed_ to kill the green one. And any who did not smell like one of his own. But...

"Oh wow! Your teeth are cool!"

...he couldn't. He couldn't do it. The green suited crewmate had not only _found him out_ somehow, but...wasn't afraid? That was a first...

"You- you're not scared of me." It's not a question, but a statement. Still, he watches the confusion in the others expression, and could not wrap his head around what was happening

"Why would I be scared of you? I mean, _yeah_ , okay, you're an Impostor, right? But you haven't killed me, yet!"

"...I do not understand you." Is all Akira says, before fleeing through a nearby vent

It does not take long for him to come face to face with the green one, again—Aidan, he learns, as another crewmate, purple, yells at the poor redhead.

"I saw black _vent_ on the security feed- you were talking to him!" The words make Akira freeze

"I was doing my tasks!" He scrambles to remember what his 'tasks' were supposed to be, and is horrified to find he can't remember, and then-

"We were doing our tasks together! His tasks were in the same room as mine." Green- no, _Aidan_ , the absolute blessing, came to his defense. Purple can't get his advantage back, after that, and though Akira feels bad, the crew ends up voting purple off-

...wait.

He...felt bad?

* * *

He corners Aidan in the lab

"What the hell was all of that?"

"You looked scared, I wanted to help!"

"You-" Akira falls silent, gaze searching Aidan's for any sign of deception. Finding none, he deflates "...I don't understand you. I'm the one you should be trying to _get rid of_!"

"Why? You haven't killed any of us."

"You don't know that!"

"The only body found was nowhere near where you were at the time"

"I can move through the _vents_ , you idiot-" Akira tugs on his ears in frustration "I don't know why I haven't just killed you! You're so-" he freezes when hands take his own off of his ears and simply...hold them, and he stares wide eyed at Aidan, bewildered.

"What's your name?"

"...I- you assume we have names like you humans..."

"Well, do you?"

"...it's Akira."

"Well, I'm your friend, now, Akira!" Aidan says it so matter of factly that Akira...can't even bring himself to argue with the boy, who looks so pleased with himself.

Instead, he repeats a phrase he's sure is going to become a common phrase for him. "...I really don't understand you..."

* * *

Panic. That's what Akira felt upon seeing Aidan _injured_ , one of his fellow impostors standing over the prone form of- of his _friend_.

"Get away from him!" He shouts, the fear in his voice surprising him. The other impostor, Red, whose name he never bothered learning, turns to him

"oh? You want this kill? Too ba-"

" _I said get away from him_!!!" Akira snarls, unaware of the audience of one of the crewmates that shows up as he lunges at Red, fangs bared.

The other was so surprised that killing him was easy, and Akira wipes the black blood from his mouth as the realization he just _killed his own kind_ hits him. For a human, no less-

"...Aidan...!" Immediately, he's kneeling beside Aidan "shit- I don't- I don't know how to-" he blinks at the wetness on his cheeks, earning a weak chuckle from Aidan

"I'll be okay....it's nothing fatal. You don't need to cry..."

"...is that what this is..." Akira murmurs, wiping his eyes "I'm sorry, I wasn't- he-"

"So purple was right."

Akira freezes, and glances behind him. Cyan. Akira thinks he heard someone call her Futaba? She seemed to be the communications specialist of the crew.

"I- yes- that's not- call a medic, _please_!"

"Why aren't you killing us?"

"Dammit, just call a medic!!!" Akira snaps. His gaze snaps back to Aidan when the boy takes his hand, and he uses his free hand to wipe at his eyes. "...I don't understand you- why does my chest hurt. I don't get it, I don't get any of this!" He can hear the girl doing as he asked and calling the medic- Pink. A girl named Ann, he notes, absently, as she arrives and begins patching Aidan up. She largely ignores Akira, but if her posture is any indication- she knows. She knows what he is.

"There. You should be good to go, Aidan!"

"Thanks, Ann. Can you look at Akira? I think he got hurt in the scuffle."

"Idiot...my body isn't the same as yours-" Akira looks away "...it's not as...fragile."

"You protected Aidan, didn't you?" Akira hears Ann ask him, and he nods, clenching his fists

"He's- my... my _friend_. I've never- he wasn't- I couldn't just-"

"We can trust him, Ann."

"I don't understand you, Aidan!" Akira snaps, finally "you weren't scared of me before, you- you defended me at the emergency meeting, you called- us _friends_ , and now you're- I don't get it! Why?! I'm the _enemy_!!!"

"You seemed lonely."

Akira stills, eyes widening, and he looks away "...lonely, huh..." he closes his eyes "...space is that, I suppose..."

"Well, you don't have to be lonely anymore! the three of us can vouch for you to the other crewmates once we find the third Impostor!" Ann chirps, and Akira looks at her

"It's yellow. We recognize our own kind. Yellow has the same smell Red did."

"...handy trick."

"...keeps us from killing each other." A pause, as he glances at Red’s body "...usually."

* * *

"What do you mean Yellow is an Imposter?!"

"I mean, he's one of my own damn kind, you moron!" Akira snaps "I'm not letting another one of my- of _them_ , hurt Aidan! I already killed Red for it, if you need me to kill yellow and show you his black fucking blood, I'll do it!"

"Akira-"

"No! Aidan, I'm not- you're- fuck, do you have any idea how _scared_ I was when I saw Red just- just standing over you?! Not again, I can't-" his gaze snaps up when Yellow snarls at him, lunging over the table, and Akira braces for impact, rolling to the floor and maneuvering so he's on top of Yellow, tendrils poised and fangs bared

"Traitor! You would betray your own-"

"My own kind doesn't give a damn about even _themselves_ , I'm sick of it! I knew I was different but this-" he winces when yellow jabs a knife into his arm, and swiftly moves to break the things neck, pulling the knife out and stabbing it into Yellow, harshly. Black blood burbles out of yellow...and his own arm.

"...black blood-"

"Yellow was the only other one. Vote me off, I don't care...I just- I don't want to hurt anyone here..."

"No! He stays!" Aidan kneels beside Akira, pulling out bandages and wrapping it around the bleeding wound.

"...I told you- my body is diffe- ...!" He freezes when Aidan suddenly hugs him, eyes widening "wh-what are you-"

"It's called a hug, dumbass." Aidan mumbles into Akira's shoulder, and Akira, hesitantly, returns the gesture, warmth flooding him.

"...it's...warm..." he murmurs, closing his eyes "...I'm tired..."

"Sleep, then. You're not going anywhere."

"...I trust Aidan. if he trusts you, Impostor or not, I think we can trust you, too." The chorus of agreement has Akira near tears. His kind, while they could work together, didn't have the concept of family, or friends. Aidan showed him what that was...and he was going to cherish that.

With a smile, he nods. "Th-thank you..."

* * *

When Akira was brought into the fold of the ship's crew despite being known to _all_ of them as being a completely different species, he was still learning to understand the very human emotions he'd always been capable of. Emotions that marked him as... _other_ , among his kind. Emotions that he'd hid and stifled, afraid and confused.

Aidan, his friend, was the one to show him kindness. The first to not be afraid, even knowing exactly what he was. Akira had lost his nerve that day. Could not bring himself to kill the red haired firecracker of an individual that was in front of him.

It took his crew a little longer to fully trust Akira. They trusted Aidan, and so allowed Akira to stay among them, but they were wary. Akira didn't blame them...

"Hey! Kirakira! You've been staring blankly at those samples for a while now. Are you alright?" A relatively new crewmate, a yellow suited individual by the name of Ryuji, asks. Just as full of light and life as Aidan, and currently the only crewmate unaware of what Akira is. Akira was afraid to tell him.

"I'm fine, just...didn't sleep well." He finishes organizing the samples, flicking his gaze towards the vent briefly. He could smell one of his kind down there. There was only one on the ship, currently. It was being surprisingly... _patient_ , likely assuming Akira was going to kill the yellow. "...come on, let's go see if Aidan wants to go get some lunch from the cafeteria."

Ryuji lights up "Hell yeah, _food_!" he pumps the air and follows Akira out of the room.

Aidan, almost having a sixth sense for Akira, was already at the cafeteria, and grins at the two as they walk in "hey!"

Akira finds himself smiling, as he often seems to around Aidan, these days, a strange fluttering warmth in his chest. "Hey, Aidan. Ryuji and I just finished up in the Lab. Wanna grab lunch?"

"Lunch sounds great!"

"Hell yeah, you know it!" Ryuji and Aidan fistbump, and Akira snorts. The blonde had clicked with Aidan almost _immediately_ upon joining the crew. Akira didn't mind. Aidan had a way with people, after all.

However, before they can go get Lunch, the vent in front of their path bursts open. Akira, having smelled the creature he shares species with, grabs the other two boys and shoves them behind him, _hissing_ at the Impostor as he's hit with tendril from it, instead. Black blood drops from the hole in his abdomen. No hiding what he is, now...

"Wh- didn't the scans say there was only one impostor?! Why is Akira-" dammit Ryuji

"Aidan, take Ryuji and run." He doesn't wait for an answer, surging forward and pinning the white suited Impostor with a snarl, aiming for the throat.

This one is tougher than he expected. By the time Akira finishes it off, he's bleeding profusely, and he sags against the wall, breath ragged

"Akira...!" That's Aidan's voice...it sounded distant... foggy. He looks up to see Akira crouched in front of him, Ryuji net to him with a wary expression. That confuses Akira. Aidan's voice sounded so far...

"...why didn't you...run...?"

"Akira, you're _bleeding_. You're bleeding really badly!" Aidan watches Akira's eyes flutter closed with fear "Akira, don't you dare fuckin die!"

"Aidan, isn't he-"

"He's Akira! So what if he's the same species as them, he's different! he's my best friend!"

"Aidan...my body can handle more than this..." Akira opens his eyes, reaching for Aidan "I'll be fine...I told you before, right? My body is different..."

"Dude, you're like...really hurt, though." Ryuji calls Ann, and Akira has to resist the instinctive snark.

Ryuji was right, ultimately. Akira was definitely in bad shape. He doesn't see Ann arrive, passing out as Ryuji is explaining everything to her.

* * *

He wakes up in the med bay, with Aidan sleeping in a chair next to the bed. "...Aidan, you're going to...mess up your back..." he whispers, jerking a bit in surprise when Aidan speaks, apparently wide awake rather than asleep like Akira initially thought.

"Wanted to make sure you'd...wake up..."

"...?" Akira sits up and reaches out towards Aidan, who rests his cheek against Akira's outstretched hand

"You lost a lot of blood, Akira..."

"I'm okay, now." He murmurs, shifting on the bed. "...have you even slept, yet?" When Aidan shakes his head, Akira sighs heavily, shuffling over and patting the mattress "...might as well get some now, then."

"Huh? But-"

"Aidan, you need sleep. And if it helps you to be next to me, well..." he shrugs "I don't mind."

"...you sure?"

"...just get in, dumbass." Akira smiles faintly, and Aidan complies, crawling in next to Akira and snuggling close to him. Akira closes his eyes and wills his heart and stomach to stop doing flip flops, absentmindedly wrapping an arm protectively around Aidan as he settles

"...was scared. Don't wanna lose you..."

"...I'll be okay..." he whispers "I promise, I'm not going to leave you..." he might not know what the flip flip fluttering of his heart is, but he knew he didn't consider it unpleasant... content, he drifts off with Aidan in his arms

* * *

It's been a few weeks since the incident that landed Akira in the med bay, and Aidan…

"You were like a cat!"

..is _fixating_ on the fact that, once Akira himself had passed out, he all but instinctively sought out the warmth of the human space heater that is Aidan.

"I'm not human, Aidan. My species doesn't generate body heat very well." He looks away, "...and you're...basically a human space heater...the warmth was...nice."

"Really?" A fucking puppy. He'd seen videos of the creatures, before, and Aidan was reminding him heavily of such.

"Has anyone told you that you're just an overgrown puppy, Aidan?" He asks, amused.

"Oh, all the time, actually!" The goofy little grin Aidan throws him does things to his stomach, making it flutter. 

"I-in any case...we should be...safe until we land, next." Akira rubs the back of his next "from- _them_ , I mean." What was with him lately??? He was tempted to ask Ann if maybe there was something wrong with him. She'd been studying his biology in order to better administer medical assistance to him when needed, maybe she'd have answers. Was he sick?

"-ra? Hey, Akira!" Aidan's voice snaps him from his daze "Jeez, you zoned out. You've been doing a lot of that, lately. Are you sure you're okay?"

"...Just lost in thought. How's Ryuji been handling...well…" he vaguely gestures to himself, not really looking at Aidan. 

"He was...confused at first. Pretty upset, actually. But you protected us, and he didn't forget that." Akira pauses "...he found us cuddled in the med bay, actually. I had just woken up, and you were...being adorable."

"...so in other words, he's not sure what to think of me, yet."

"...yeah, basically. " Aidan grins sheepishly "Sorry."

"No, it's alright." He stands up "...I need to speak with Ann about something private." He murmurs, only waiting for a nod of understanding from Aidan before he slips into one of the vents, making his way to the med bay through them and accidentally startling Ann. He gives her an apologetic look. 

"It's alright. Is everything okay, Akira?" She motions him to sit so she can check the bandages around his stomach.

"I...am admittedly unsure. I've been wondering if I might be sick with one of your people's illnesses…" he looks down "...my heart and stomach have been doing...funny things…" that certainly catches Ann's attention 

"Funny, how? Can you describe it?" She asks, listening as Akira complies, only to find herself giggling "I don't think you're sick, Akira, but I might know what's going on!"

"And what might that be?"

"You said it only happens when you're thinking about, or are around Aidan! That's the key, here, Akira. That's your body's reaction to extremely strong emotions, in this case, good ones!"

"...what's your point? _Why_ is this happening?"

"Simple. You like Aidan."

"What? Of course I do, he's my frien-"

"No. I mean you _like_ like him. Have feelings for him. A crush? Have you never had feelings for someone, before?" 

Akira frowns, furrowing his brows as he thinks. Feelings…? "...I don't understand…"

"That's a no, then." She sits in front of Akira and takes his hand "when you have feelings for someone, it means you care about them. A lot more than you would most other people. It's...hard to explain. Essentially, he makes you extremely happy. So much so that your body physically reacts in the form of what we call 'butterflies'. Cause it feels like we have butterflies in our stomach!"

"...so I'm not sick? This is just...an emotional response?"

"Not sick." Ann confirms, 

* * *

"Akira!" Aidan comes running up as he enters the cafeteria a couple days later, grinning. Akira returns a smile of his own 

'Hey, Aidan." He murmurs blinking when he's pulled into a hug "Wh- Aidan, what are you doing?" He can feel blood rushing to his face as his heart and stomach both continue to do flip flops. 

"Hugging you."

"...yes, but why?" That just earns Akira a shrug, and so he resigns himself to being Trapped like this. ...it was warm, at least 

"...hey, Akira?"

"Hm?"

"Have you...ever had a crush on someone?" Oh how Akira is glad Ann explained the concept of _that_ to him. 

"I- one. I've had...one. But there's- we're incompatible, I could...it could go wrong in so many ways. So I...try and ignore it."

"Do they know what you are? Or did they?"

"...they- do, yes- I- why is this suddenly important?" Akira squirms, suddenly uncomfortable, and Aidan let’s go, leaving him feeling strangely cold

"I dunno, I was just curious." Aidan looks so sad, and Akira's ears droop at the sight.

"Aidan, I-" he stops, hesitating, and looks away "...the problem is I could hurt them by accident. I'm not _human_ , and you're all so...breakable. I don't-" he tugs at his ears, distressed "...that's the last thing I want to do…" he looks at Aidan, then, and blurts "I don't want to hurt you-" upon realizing what he's said, however, Akira panics and flees into the vents.  
  
He comes out of the vents in the greenhouse, hiding amongst the plethora of exotic plants and tugging on his ears and hair “idiot...Idiot idiot idiot-” he chokes out, shaking his head. Why’d he just… _blurt_ that out??? He can’t face Aidan after that. No, the shame would kill him.  
  
Maybe he could just live in the vents? Keep them safe from the shadows? Yeah. Yeah, that could work. He just had to-  
  
“Akira?” Aidan’s voice calls hesitantly from the entrance- dammit, he should have expected Aidan to check the security feed… “Akira, I’m not mad. Can you come out? Please?”  
  
Not mad…? That wasn’t- Akira tugs on his ears, and there’s a keening sound he doesn’t realize is coming from him until he feels hands pull his off of his ears, and he looks up, wide eyed, to see Aidan.  
  
“Did you… mean that? Back there?” the boy asks, and Akira just. Stares at him.  
  
“...I- yes, but-” he squeaks when Aidan traces circles on the backs of Akira’s hand with his thumb “Aidan, what-”  
  
“...I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable…”  
  
“It’s not- Aidan, don’t. Don’t blame yourself for my-” he looks down “...for my own inability to process my own emotions…”  
  
“...Can I kiss you?”  
  
Akira’s brain...short circuits, at that. “ _What_ …???” Did he- surely he couldn’t have heard Aidan correctly. Kissing was a human concept, but Akira knew what it was. There was no way…  
  
“I asked if I could kiss you, Akira.” Aidan looks up at him “...I like you, too, you know.”  
  
Akira thinks he’s dreaming. He has to be. Surely after that pitiful display earlier, there was no way Aidan could- “S-sure-” his mouth betrays him, however, because as soon as that one, simple word is spoken, Aidan’s mouth is on his, gentle and- caring. Akira doesn’t really know what he’s doing, but… he decides to wing it, wrapping his arms around Aidan and closing his eyes.  
  
The warmth flooding him was from more than just Aidan’s body heat as his heart threatens to beat right out of his chest. He...could...get used to this…

* * *

  
A couple days later, they dock their ship at a space station to refuel and replenish supplies, and Akira sticks close to Aidan, nostrils flaring. So many of his kind, here… 

"You alright, 'Kira?"

"So many. There's so many of us…" he takes Aidan's hand and laces their fingers "you smell enough like me to...Probably be safe. I hope." There's also a good chance he smells enough like the _humans_. 

Or the scent of their ship would be confusing. 

"Your kind?"

"Yeah." Akira shakes his head "come on, we were supposed to get medical supplies for Ann." He hesitates "...admittedly I've never really been to one of the space stations beyond the one I boarded from"

"Don't worry, I know where to go. Come on!" Aidan grins at Akira and pulls him along to the station Medbay, giggling at how Akira looks around at everything with a wide eyed stare

"It's so...there's so much space to move about!" Akira smiles brightly, and his eyes go wide as he spots what seems to be a massive greenspace "can we go look there after?"

"You really love plants, huh?"

"Mhmm!"

It doesn't take long for them to finish their task and head to the garden, where Akira seems to just. Light up, eyes wide and joyful.

He spots a very familiar looking tree, and pulls Aidan towards it "come on- look at this tree!" The tree in question was covered in bioluminescent spots, and had wispy leaves, almost feathery. The bark was smooth. It was almost like a weeping willow, but clearly alien "these are...from our home planet." He murmurs, reaching up and brushing a hand over the leaves "plume trees."

"It's beautiful."

"Our home planet is, too. It's frustrating how...our society became something so violent...there's nothing _left_. I've read the history books, before they, too, were destroyed…" he blinks as Aidan wraps his arms around him from behind, and chirps sadly, earning a nuzzle 

"Your people used to be more United?"

"Yeah. We never lost our intellect, but our emotional capacity, and...several other things...I don't know what triggered the change…"

"But you exist, right? It shows there's still hope?"

"...maybe…" Akira murmurs, looking up at the tree "...just maybe…"


	2. Dreams of the Past?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A body has been discovered!
> 
> Akira has a nightmare, experiencing events that happened long before he was born, and it leaves him shaken and distraught

Alarms blare throughout the station, and Akira can smell the rising panic on the people around them, human and imposter alike. 

The next thing he smells is blood, and he wrinkles his nose, pulling Aidan away from the source, which is quickly being surrounded by what looks to be official investigators. A human body, eviscerated and torn to shreds.

...at least these guys bother to investigate...but one of his own killing in such a massively populated area, it must have gone entirely feral… chances of finding them were high. _Surviving_ the encounter was another story. 

"You two, did you happen to see anything?" Akira startles out of his thoughts when one of the investigators speaks, and shakes his head 

"No, I-"

"Sorry, we didn't...see anything…" the look on Aidan's face upon seeing the body makes Akira look away

"...don't engage that thing alone." Akira looks at the investigator "most Imposters have _intelligence_. This thing no longer has that."

"And how can you tell?"

Akira rolls his eyes and gestures around them "it attacked in the middle of a densely populated area. Your chances of _finding_ it are extremely high. Your chances of _surviving_ the encounter is another story entirely. _Do not engage it alone or unarmed_.

"We'll keep that in mind. What ship are the two of you from?"

"The Skeld." Bless Aidan, the lifesaver, Akira didn't remember the name of the damn thing. "We were just heading back to it."

"Very well. Carry on." They're waved off, though Akira doesn't miss the suspicious look sent his way. He takes Aidan's hand, squeezing it, and tries to settle his nerves as they walk back to the ship.

"...Akira, that body…"

"...Now do you understand my confusion when you weren't scared? That- _that_ is what most of us will do to humans." Akira refuses to look at Aidan "...I couldn't. You were bewildering. _Frustrating_ , even, in my inability to understand. But I just- I couldn't kill you. Or anyone else, for that matter."

"But that just proves that there's hope for coexisting!" Aidan insists, and Akira's heart twists

"I don't know, Aidan, I really don't. I've...never met another Imposter with emotional intelligence… it may be possible, I just-"

"There's a _chance_ ." Aidan stops, getting Akira to look at him "just because you haven't met any doesn't mean they don't _exist_ , Akira…"

"I know, I-" he leans forward and lightly headbutts Aidan "...I just hope you're right…"

* * *

Back on the ship, after delivering the medical supplies to Ann, Akira finds himself wandering in the direction of the greenhouse. His nerves were completely fried from the encounter with the dead body, and taking care of the plants was calming.

Aidan watches him tend to the plants with a gentle hand and smiles to himself. Joining this mission, he certainly didn't expect to end up with an Imposter boyfriend, but here he was. Here _Akira_ was. A boy who sometimes found himself genuinely confused by human social behaviours, but was willing to learn, and Aidan had learned a lot about Akira's race in turn. 

Right now, though...Akira just looked tired. And sad. "You look like you wanna go nap, 'Kira."

Akira looks up at Aidan, and snorts in mild amusement. "...is it that obvious?" He murmurs, finding himself smiling faintly "I suppose you're right. I am rather tired."

"Wanna go crash in your quarters?"

"Sure." 

And so that's how, within the next couple minutes, the two found themselves curled up in what was essentially a nest of blankets.

"So that's where all the blankets went missing to." Aidan teases, and Akira pouts, not picking up on the teasing

"My kind sleep in nests, this is the closest I could-" he squeaks, startled, when Aidan presses a kiss to his cheek to interrupt him.

"I figured. I think it's cute." Aidan leans against Akira, who practically _melts_ into the warmth the other boy radiates, mind already drifting off. He makes a contented chirping noise when Aidan presses a kiss to his forehead. "Oh my god, you chirp."

Akira thinks Aidan's glee at discovering new things about him is also cute, but he falls asleep before he can vocalize that.

* * *

He dreams of fire. 

The screams of civilians echo around him as the fire blazes, carrying with it the smell of burning flesh as Akira's feet carry him desperately through the streets of his home.

Don't let him be dead. Please don't let his mate be dead…! His hatchlings-!

He reaches a burning structure, the smoke robbing him of his sense of smell. He knows he's too late even before he sees it. His family, consumed by the flames.

"'Ki...ra…?" His name overlaps...whatever was said, as does the name he calls out

"Aidan!" Akira surges forward, towards the one thing he had left in this world. "Aidan, you're going to be okay-"

"Dyin…" his mate whispers, twisting his tail with Akira's "...love you...I'm sorry." 

Akira's anguished cries are the next thing to come from the home as his mate dies in his arms. He curls around the redhead and closes his eyes, letting the flames consume him-

He wakes with a start, a sharp cry escaping him as the dream quickly fades

"Akira?!" Aidan's voice brings him back to reality, and Akira keens, distressed and scared. "Akira, look at me. Hey. I'm here." Aidan smiles at him when he turns to face the redhead "you're okay, it was just a dream."

"I-it felt so r-real…! You burned, _died_ \- don't die! Don't die…!" Akira makes a keening noise again, not fighting when Aidan pulls him close, into a tight hug.

"I'm not going to die, I'm right here. Promise. I'm okay, you're safe."

"It was s-so real...e-everything was on fire…" Akira whispers, voice wavering "don't like fire...scares me…" his tail slips out of his suit and wraps around the two of them as he tucks himself closer to Aidan. 

Aidan, who looked so similar to the boy in the dream. A dream depicting events...long before he was even born. He's heard whispers of the Great Burning. He wonders if maybe that was the catalyst to his race deteriorating like it has.

"Do you think you'll be able to go back to sleep?" Aidan asks, running his hands through Akira's hair soothingly. Akira's scream had woken him up, and seeing Akira look so _small_ and _scared_ made his heart hurt

"N-no." Akira whines softly, kneading at Aidan, too distressed to care that he's just giving the boy another reason to call him a giant cat as the two of them settle into the nest for the rest of the night cycle, both resigning to not getting any more sleep. 

* * *

Ultimately, the two do end up falling back asleep, resulting in them missing the alarm to wake up for the day. Ryuji ends up coming to check on them and decides they need the sleep after seeing the tear tracks on Akira's face, so he goes to inform their captain, Brown, who thanks him.

He'd heard Akira's scream, and checking the backlog on the security feed this morning, knew that the poor kid had a nightmare. He'd never admit it, but the kid has grown on him since they learned what he was. 

Sojiro Sakura wasn't the father figure on the ship for no reason, after all. 

"I'll check on them, later."

"Alright, cool. Uh- see ya around!" Ryuji ducks out of the Admin area and heads off to do his tasks.

* * *

Aidan and Akira don't wake up until that afternoon, though Akira is very reluctant to let go of Aidan 

"Rain Cloud, we gotta go eat something. I'll be right with you the whole time, okay?"

"...mmh...okay." Akira, reluctantly, pulls away from Aidan, taking his hand as they head to the cafeteria. He doesn't bother trying to get his tail into his suit, either, ignoring the stares it gets him. Yeah, it makes it more obvious he's not human, but he was too out of it to care as he nibbles on something Aidan called meatloaf. He needed a protein rich diet, and it seems the crew took that into consideration on their supply run. 

"It's pretty good, right?" Aidan gestures to the meatloaf "it's not something I've had all that often, myself."

"...meat." Akira murmurs "meat is good." Imposters are carnivorous, after all.

"...Akira?"

"Mm?"

"Are you alright?"

Akira sets his fork down and stares at his food, contemplating "...I don't know." He admits "last night...that dream, it was… I saw someone who looks like you...die. I think...I was seeing through someone- someone else's eyes? But you- he- the one who looked like you died in- my arms… it…" tears well up in Akira's eyes "It hurt. Here…" he places a hand over his chest, leaning against Aidan when he's pulled into a hug

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's...it's okay…" Akira wraps his arms around Aidan "...I'll be okay…" 

Futaba wanders up to them, tapping on Aidan's shoulder "Dad wants you two to go see him in Admin." she glances at Akira "Jeez, did you get _any_ sleep, dude?"

"...barely." Akira mutters, pulling away from Aidan and wiping at his eyes "...so the old man wants to talk to us, huh?"

" _Relax_. He won't admit it out loud, but he's fond of ya! He's probably just checking in or something"

Akira doesn't respond as he stands up. He liked Futaba well enough, but she was a bit much for him right now. Tail wrapping around Aidan's wrist, he tugs.

"Ah- sorry, 'Taba. Looks like we've gotta go." 

"Don't worry about it." She grins at them.

* * *

Akira has all but foregone formalities with the captain, sitting on the floor of Admin.

Though, Aidan has done the same, as Akira is more or less in his lap, kneading him to try and stay calm

"You two don't need to worry about your tasks, today." Sojiro pulls up a chair, sitting down and watching Akira "did you get enough sleep, Akira?"

Akira startles when he's addressed, and considers lying, but… "...no…" he grips Aidan's clothing "...I was...t-too scared…"

"Akira…" Aidan murmurs, nuzzling his boyfriend. The action earns him a soft chirp. Truth was, he didn't get much, either. Based on what Akira said in the cafeteria...they'd had the same dream.

"Do you mind talking about it?" Sojiro's words get a distressed whine from Akira, and he holds his hands out placatingly. "Whoa, it's okay. I'm asking, but I'm not going to force you." Akira reminds him of how Futaba was when her mom died, and it pulls at him. 

"N-nightmare…" Akira whispers "...e-everything was on fire...Aidan, he...d-died-" Akira's voice cracks "I'm scared.. I don't want to see that again!" Hit a tail twitches as his gaze flicks towards the vent, wanting very much to escape from the conversation. He doesn't want to remember his dream. 

"I had the same dream, I think…" Aidan murmurs shakily, gently petting one of Akira's horns to soothe him. It earns him a chirp and a quiet purr. "I was the same race as Akira, and trying to protect...something, while everything burned around me...Akira came in after the roof fell on me...I died… but when I woke up, Akira was screaming...and I wanted to help him…"

Akira is silent. The same dream…

"What were you trying to protect?"

"...hatchlings…" Akira whispers "...he was protecting a batch of hatchlings...small, _defenseless_."

"...that's what those were? Wait- 'hatchlings'...?"

"...eggs. We lay eggs. If they're fertilized, they hatch. Offspring." Akira flushes "...we had children in that dream…"

Sojiro watches Akira start to break down, again, and sighs softly "alright, you two are excused from tasks for today and tomorrow. Take a mental break, both of you."

Akira blinks at Sojiro, and then crawls out of Aidan's arms and over to the man wearing a brown suit and smelling strongly of coffee, wrapping his arms around him in a hug and chirping softly.

"Whoa, hey now…" Sojiro protests, weakly, but Akira's shaking gives him pause, and he sets a hand on the boys back soothingly, his other arm beckoning Aidan to join. Which he does quickly, and Sojiro finds himself with two distressed...children, really. Compared to him. "You're going to be alright." He pets them both. 

He really hopes he's right about that. 

* * *

After talking a little more with Sojiro, Aidan and Akira head to the greenhouse. Akira knows Sojiro excused them from doing tasks, but this was one that he felt was good for him. A lot of the plants on this ship were, strangely, from his home planet. He wondered where the Skeld’s destination was…

“Akira?”

“...yeah?” 

“...You said earlier...if the eggs are fertilized, they hatch. But what if they’re not?”

“...free protein.” Akira figures he may as well be blunt about that face “especially since laying them in the first place is nutritionally draining. If they’re not fertalized, they’re food.” he looks away at the face Aidan makes “...I’m not human, remember?” he mutters as he tends to the plants, falling silent.  
  
Aidan smacks himself internally, and wraps his arms around Akira “I know. I’m sorry. It’s disturbing, but I’m not judging you for it.”  
  
Akira shifts so he can peer at Aidan, and then nuzzles him, chirping softly. “...I know…” 

“That chirping is adorable, by the way. You’re adorable.” Aidan grins at the massive blush that gets him, and Akira makes a flustered noise.  
  
“I am _not_ adorable.” the dark haired boy insists, tail curling as he pouts at Aidan. Yep. Definitely, unquestionably adorable.

“The adorablist.”  
  
“Aidan that’s not even a word.”

“It is now.”


	3. Bonding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira and the younger members of the crew bond, Akira discovers coffee, and decides he really, really hates working on wiring.

"C'mon, Akira! It's easy! We each take turns asking each other 'truth or dare' and the other person has to pick and follow through! Simple!" Ryuji grins at Akira from his perch on one of the cafeteria tables. They had all commandeered the room for an impromptu slumber party

"Unless, of course, you're scared~" Futaba teases, and Akira's tail lashes.

"I'm not scared!" He insists, "I'm just not sure I understand the  _ appeal _ of such a game."

Aidan chuckles, and Akira blinks at him. "Give a couple rounds a try?" He gives Akira the puppy eyes, and watches his boyfriends expression change from bewildered to exasperated to amused.

"Alright." Leaning against Aidan, he turns to the others "so how do we start?"

* * *

Three rounds in, and Akira thinks he understands the appeal of this game a little better. It's Futaba's turn, and she turns to Aidan 

"Alright, Aidan, Truth or Dare?"

"Uh...dare?"

"I dare you to kiss Akira for twenty seconds." She grins at the stunned looks both boys send her "I didn't stutter."

Akira flushes "That- I mean I'm not opposed, I just- twenty seconds? Don't humans need to breathe?"

"Nostrils." Ah. Of course. Futaba, forever delivering logic to support her gremlinery. Flustered, Akira hides his face against Aidan's chest, the fur on his legs and shoulders fluffing up in embarrassment 

"Alright then." Aidan grins, and then nuzzles Akira, coaxing him out of his hiding so he can kiss him.

Akira more or less melts into it, closing his eyes. It's gentle, Aidan is always gentle, tangling his hands into Akira's hair and earning a pleased sounding purr.

When they pull away, they're out of breath, and-

"Dude that was _way_ more than twenty seconds. Closer to thirty!"

-According to Ryuji, it went over Futaba's time. Akira blinks at Ryuji, confused.

"Is that...bad?" His tail curls around him nervously, and Ryuji backpedals.

"No, not at all! Just surprising!"

"Aaaaaah!" Futaba flails "Cuteness overload!" 

Akira pouts at her, looking down at the ground "...'m not  _ cute _ . Why does everyone insist I'm cute, I don't get it."

"Wait- Akira, you actually think that…?" Aidan watches Akira, watches how he shrinks in on himself, and tugs him into his lap, burying his face in Akira's fluffy hair. "Akira, you're the sweetest, oftentimes most adorable person I've ever met."

"But 'cute' is a compliment given to other humans. Not…" monsters. It goes unsaid, but Aidan, and the others, all hear it anyway.

"Akira, you're not a monster. You're a sweet boy. A little confused, sometimes, but I don't think you're a monster." Ann reaches out and sets her hand on top of Akira's head, smiling when he chirps at her

"Yeah, man! Like, you're cool! Yeah, you might not be human, but so what? You're our friend!" Ryuji certainly has the spirit, and it gets a small snort from Akira.

It's Futaba that gets him giggling incredulously "Besides, even if you were a monster, I'd still think you were cool! Monsters are fun!"

"Futaba, you- hehe!" He wipes at his eyes "thanks, guys...that...helps."

"No problem!"

"Anytime, man!"

"Mwehehe!"

"Always." Aidan murmurs at the same time as all the others, pressing a kiss to the top of Akira's head. Akira chirps, turning and nuzzling Aidan as he yawns tiredly. Aidan smiles "I think it's sleep time. Since we're all having a slumber party, why don't we all nest?"

Akira purrs as Aidan pets him, smiling as everyone gets up and begins piling blankets and pillows into one massive nesting pile. Things were going to be okay. He was accepted...that made him happy.

* * *

A couple days later, Aidan is watching Akira pace anxiously "What's wrong, 'Kira,"

"I smelled one of my kind, but the scent disappeared. I  _ know _ I smelled them!" He tugs his hair in frustration, whining.

"Maybe your own scent rubbed off on the others and you smelled it for a moment?" Aidan suggests, gently taking his boyfriends hands and pulling him close, kissing the top of his head. 

Akira thinks about that for a second "I- it's possible, I suppose…" he doubted it, but he knew Aidan was trying to help, so he desperately clings to Aidan's idea for his own sanity, nuzzling the redhead with a soft chirp. "Come on...we should do our tasks for the day." 

"Yeah, alright. Come on, then." Aidan kisses Akira, revelling in the surprised squeak it earns, and smirks. "Adorable." 

Akira follows him out into the hall, weakly protesting that he's not adorable, which saddens Aidan a little bit, and only strengthens his resolve to help Akira gain more confidence in himself.

Akira, for the most part, is still twitchy, and fumbles through trying to fix the wiring in an electrical panel. Which is something he's clumsy at doing on a good day. After stabbing himself on an exposed wire and shocking himself a fifth time, he angrily slams the panel closed and presses his forehead against the cool metal. 

"Fuck. Get a grip, Akira…" he mutters to himself, stepping away from the wall and running his hand through his hair. Could he have been imagining things earlier? He shakes his head, ignoring the concerned look Aidan sends him as he storms off to go do a different task. 

"Whoa, hey, kid- everything alright?" 

Akira stops. Sojiro. "...I, don't know. Shocked myself on the wiring…" he mutters, now actually looking at his fingers and inwardly wincing at how ashy they look, blood having come to the surface in patches from the electric shocks.

"Again?" At Akira's flinch, Sojiro sighs "come into Admin. I should have a small first aid kid, and you look stressed.

"...but I haven't finished my tasks."

"You can go back to them, later, if you want. Have you ever had coffee?"

"Coffee? No, everyone keeps telling me about it, and it smells good, but I've never...tried it." Curious, Akira follows Sojiro, interest piqued.

* * *

So it turns out coffee is only the best thing Akira has ever had. Yeah, it's bitter, but there's  _ flavour _ , and??? He can focus better??? He trills happily as he downs a second cup, tail swaying happily behind him.

Sojiro chuckles as he watches Akira. The kid was something, alright, and full of surprises. He'd seen on the surveillance cameras how  _ vicious  _ the kid could be, so to see the display in front of him, such a stark contrast, made him smile. 

Akira was just a socially awkward kid. Well. Adult. Technically everyone but Futaba are adults on this ship, but as the oldest, it's hard for Sojiro not to see most of his crew as kids, with one or two exceptions. 

Though…

"How old are you?"

"Huh?" Akira blinks at Sojiro "uh, I'm…" he frowns "...I need to think for a second, my people have a different calendar system…" after a few moments, he nods to himself "...about nineteen human years, I think. Maybe twenty?" He tilts his head "...why?"

"I wasn't sure." Sojiro leans over to one of the panels and pulls up Akira's information, updating it briefly. "You're actually around the same age as Aidan."

"Really?" Akira kicks at the ground, staring at the bandages on his fingers "...Aidan is…"

"A menace?" Sojiro jokes, but from the way Akira shakes his head, he can tell Akira didn't catch on "I'm joking, Akira. Aidan is chaotic, yes, but he's a good kid."

"...when he found out what I was...he wasn't scared of me… he said he thought I was cool." Akira looks away. "...I'm scared of hurting him." 

"You care about him that much, huh?" He leans forward and sets a hand on Akira's head, smiling faintly when the kid's gaze snaps to his, eyes wide and pupils dilated. "You're a good kid, too, Akira."

Akira blinks, slowly, before leaning into Sojiro's touch as the man pets him "...I just don't want to hurt innocent people…" he murmurs, chirping quietly "...you're...really nice…" he closes his eyes, "and... yeah, I...I do care about Aidan…" 

"Well, I don't know about nice…" he trails off as Akira begins to purr softly. Dammit, that was too cute. He really wanted to adopt this kid…

* * *

"'Kira?" Aidan approaches his boyfriend later in the cafeteria, worried. He'd ran off so suddenly that morning…

"Hm?" Akira glances up at him, and then gestures to a second tray "...got you some, too, before the others took the good stuff." He munches on a piece of meat, sharp teeth tearing through it with ease.

"Are you okay?" 

Akira pauses. "...mostly. I...worried you, didn't I? I'm sorry…" he leans against Aidan once he's settled in beside him, grabbing another piece of meat from his own plate.

"A little. It's okay. As long as you're okay…" Aidan eyes Akira's plate for a moment "are Imposters obligate carnivores?"

"Er...not technically? We're omnivorous to an extent, we've just...adapted to a mostly meat based diet. A lot of earth vegetables are hard on our stomachs unless we, like...grew up on them." Akira explains. "I suppose if we started to eat vegetables shortly after hatching, we would adapt and be able to eat it." 

"Oh. That's actually kinda cool." Aidan smiles at Akira, who flashes a smile of his own, lighting up his entire face 

"You think so?"

"Well, yeah! I love learning more about you, and your kind." Aidan's words make Akira blush, and he hides his face in his hands, making a flustered noise as his fur fluffs, visible or not. 

"...I like learning about humans, too." He reaches out and takes Aidan's hand, lacing their fingers. For the first time, he sees how long and slender his fingers are in comparison to Aidan's "...we're so different…" 

He can feel the calluses on Aidan's hand, and closes his eyes, only for them to snap back open when Aidan begins to trace Akira's lips with the thumb of his other hand 

"...you're beautiful, Akira. Have I told you that?"

"Wh-what…?" Beautiful? Him? "But-"

"I mean it. Just...you're beautiful. You're beautiful and cute and sweet and-" Aidan presses his lips to Akira's, kissing him deeply until the other boy melts into his arms, purring softly "I love you, Akira…"

Akira's nerves are on fire, and his head is spinning, but those words make him feel warm. Warm and happy. He chirps, tail swaying as he nuzzles Aidan's throat.

Aidan understands what Akira is trying to convey, and smiles, running his hands through the other boys dark curls. They were soft and fluffy, just like his fur. Aidan thinks he has to be the luckiest bastard in the world.

* * *

Deciding to try and finish repairing the wiring after eating meant parting from Aida for the time being. That was okay. He needed to be able to focus so he didn't shock himself yet again.

"Ow! Son of a bitch!" Akira puts his finger in his mouth to try and soothe it, glaring at the wiring with disdain. So much for  _ that _ logic…

"Having trouble?" The voice, unfamiliar, has Akira whirling around and baring his fangs before he realizes it's just the other green on the ship. This one with a darker suit than Aidan.

"...maybe." his tail curls and lashes in annoyance as he glares at the wiring box "I keep electrocuting myself. It  _ hurts _ ." His glare falls on the other as he hears a chuckle, and the crewmate waves their hands placatingly 

"Here, let me help. Wiring can be tricky" stepping forward, Akira watches as they- he? The voice sounded male- carefully brings the wires together and wraps black tape around them. It seemed so simple to watch it, but…

"How do you keep from getting shocked, I don't get it."

"See the rubber coating? That's an insulator. It's not just for colour coding the wires. It also keeps fires from starting by containing the electrical current." 

"...right." Akira felt dumb for not realizing that, sooner "...so just stop stabbing myself on exposed wires." One would think that was simple.

"Basically, yes. You're...an Imposter, right?"

Akira stares at him, and then pointedly curls his tail over his head, waggling it "Gee, what gave it away?" He turns back to the electrical and attempts to finish the task after being shown how it's done.

"Oh, no, I didn't mean it in an offensive way, You're just the first I've heard of one being openly accepted on a ship."

"That's because  _ most _ of my kind are emotionless  _ murderers _ ." Akira mutters in response, and doesn't notice the way the other crewmate flinches. 

He doesn't hear the soft murmur of "they weren't always like that." either, too busy cursing in the aftermath of yet  _ another  _ electric shock. 

Frustrated and about ready to cry, his fingers burning and tingling from all the shocks, he slams the box shut and steps back from it. 

"Hey, it's okay. I'll do this one, yeah?"

"...go ahead." Akira looks down at his fingers, wincing. They were bleeding. "...I have to go see Ann, anyway." He glances at the dark green crewmate "...um, thanks."

"Don't mention it. You gonna be okay?" Finishing with the wires, he turns to Akira in time to see a slow nod.

"Yeah, I just- I'm overwhelmed, I think. I don't know. I thought I smelled another of my kind, earlier, but then the scent vanished, and it's had me on edge all day." 

"I can imagine it would. Is there anything that helps you relax?"

"...tending to the plants in the greenhouse, but...that's not on my task list, today.

"It's on mine. Here, why don't you exchange your wiring tasks with my greenhouse task." He pulls out his little data pad, and Akira blinks owlishly at him 

"...you can do that?"

"Technically we're not supposed to, but you're having trouble. I'm sure the captain won't mind."

* * *

After a trip to Ann to patch up his hands, the sight of which had her looking sympathetic, Akira sits amongst the plant and dozes. They didn't even need much maintenance, today, and he was exhausted.

This is how Aidan finds him. Curled up and sleeping underneath the leaves of a dense shrub, his tail flicking over the floor the only indication he's even there. Aidan smiles at the sight as he pushes some of the leaves to the side to get a better look at his boyfriend. 

It was adorable. 

Snapping a picture on his data pad, first, Aidan gently shakes Akira awake "Hey. The nest might be more comfortable than the floor, 'Kira."

"Mmmgh, five more minutes…" 

"The ship is cycling down for the night cycle, Akira." Aidan chuckles when the response to that is just grabby hands, and he lifts Akira up with ease, his smile widening when his boyfriend clings to him and begins to purr.

"Mmh...warm…" Akira murmurs sleepily, nuzzling Aidan. In his sleep haze, a thought occurs to him "hey...do you know where the ship is headed for…?"

"Huh? Oh, uh...I think… humans call the planet Mementos or something. It's a lot of purple and green, from what I've seen of the satellite scans." Akira stiffens, and that's a worrying sign. "'Kira?"

"...Mementos. That's- Aidan, that's my  _ home planet _ ." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mehehehe... evil cliffhangers are evil.


End file.
